A "naked man standoff" took place in central London, England on Friday sparking hundreds of onlookers to watch police negotiate with the nude man for almost three hours.

The incident started when a naked man climbed up on top of a large equestrian statue in the London's Whitehall government district on Friday.

The nude man then decided to strike a number of precarious poses as locals and tourists looked on stunned.

Police quickly arrived on the scene and spent hours attempting to coax the naked man down, but for long periods they were unable to break the stand off.

Police in London have confirmed to media sources that the man is believed to be in his 30s or 40s.

They explained that the man had climbed up on top of a massive bronze statue of the 19 Century Duke of Cambridge at about noon local time on Friday.

Once the man had climbed up and reached the statue, he spent the next few hours climbing up and down and around the statue of the duke.

The man seemed unfazed by the cold autumn weather in London and seemed happy to perch himself on top of the Duke's head.

Police and other emergency services cordoned off the area around the statue, which is located near several government buildings including the British Prime Minister David Cameron's residence, 10 Downing Street.

Once the area was cordoned off police managed to finally coax him down. The man was then covered and taken away. He has been reported as being detained under Britain's Mental Health Act and will now be assessed.